Nicole Amor’s husband questions Vice President J.D. Vance over the drone strike that killed his wife, Twin Lakes may get a new mayor — and then stop being a city, and a new “drill” for carving pumpkins.
Transcript
WITH HEADLINES FROM AROUND THE STATE, I’M XAN HOLSTON.
--COLD OPEN --
COMING UP...
[POWER DRILL SOUND]
ADDING HORSE-POWER TO CARVING THE JACK-O-LANTERN...
PLUS.. LOOKING FOR WAYS TO STOP WILDFIRES BEFORE THEY START...
[ABBY ANDRUS, DOVETAIL PARTNERS: IDEALLY, WE AREN'T PREPARING FOR A WILDFIRE WHEN ONE IS HEADED OUR WAY.]
BUT FIRST …
--WHITE BEAR LAKE HUSBAND OF NICOLE AMOR SAYS CONCERNS TO VP VANCE--
[JOEY AMOR/NICOLE AMOR’S WIDOWER: THERE ARE NOW SIX FAMILIES LIVING IN A NIGHTMARE.]
JOEY AMOR ... (AY- MORE) THE WIDOWER OF WHITE BEAR LAKE MINNESOTA SOLDIER... NICOLE AMOR ... KILLED EARLIER THIS YEAR IN THE WAR WITH IRAN ... WANTS ANSWERS FROM VICE-PRESIDENT J-D VANCE...
DURING A C-B-S-NEWS TOWN HALL ON SATURDAY... AMOR PRESSED VANCE ABOUT THE IRANIAN DRONE ATTACK THAT KILLED HIS WIFE AND FIVE OTHER SOLDIERS ON MARCH FIRST...
HE SAYS POOR LEADERSHIP DECISIONS CONTRIBUTED TO THE DEADLY DRONE ATTACK AT THE KUWAITI BASE WHERE HIS WIFE WAS STATIONED.
[JOEY AMOR/NICOLE AMOR’S WIDOWER: THERE WERE A LOT OF MISTAKES AND A LOT OF FUNDAMENTAL FAILURES THAT LED UP TO THAT.]
VANCE SAID HE WAS UNFAMILIAR WITH THE INCIDENT AND WOULD FIND OUT WHAT HAPPENED...
--POLICE CHIEF AXEL HENRY LAWSUIT--
THE LEGAL FIGHT AT SAINT PAUL'S CITY HALL NOW INCLUDES ALLEGATIONS THE MAYOR *KNOWINGLY MISLED WORKPLACE INVESTIGATORS*.
POLICE CHIEF AXEL HENRY AMENDED HIS LAWSUIT AGAINST MAYOR KAOHLY HER … SAYING STATEMENTS HER MADE TO INVESTIGATORS AND ON A PODCAST ARE FALSE … AND COULD DAMAGE HIS PROFESSIONAL REPUTATION.
THE MAYOR CITES AN OUTSIDE INVESTIGATION THAT DID NOT SUBSTANTIATE SEXUAL HARASSMENT OR RETALIATION.
--MALL OF AMERICA SHOOTER--
AN EIGHTEEN-YEAR-OLD ACCUSED OF PLANNING AN ISIS-INSPIRED MASS SHOOTING AT THE MALL OF AMERICA WILL REMAIN IN FEDERAL CUSTODY.
AT HIS FIRST COURT APPEARANCE YESTERDAY IN MINNEAPOLIS... A JUDGE FOUND SHEIKHDOON ABDULLAHI MOHAMUD... OF RICHFIELD... TOO DANGEROUS TO RELEASE.
PROSECUTORS SAY HE PLANNED THE ATTACK FOR THIS COMING SATURDAY... DURING THE MALL’S HMONG ARTS CELEBRATION.
HIS SUPPORTERS QUESTION WHY THE F-B-I INVESTIGATED HIM FOR TWO YEARS BEFORE TAKING ACTION.
THEY ARE ALSO ASKING IF THE AGENCY ENCOURAGED AND POSSIBLY EVEN HELPED TO RADICALIZE AN IMPRESSIONABLE YOUTH.
--LAW ENFORCEMENT TASK FORCE--
FOLLOWING INCREASING GANG VIOLENCE IN THE METRO AREA … MINNESOTA LAW ENFORCEMENT LEADERS ARE COLLABORATING ON MULTIPLE LEVELS ACROSS THE TWIN CITIES.
AT A PRESS CONFERENCE MONDAY … LOCAL … STATE … AND FEDERAL PARTNERS ANNOUNCED A NEW CROSS-AGENCY INTELLIGENCE SHARING PLAN.
THE HENNEPIN COUNTY SHERIFF SAYS THE TASK FORCE WON'T JUST REACT TO SHOOTINGS.
[HC SHERIFF WITT: IT'S ABOUT IDENTIFYING AND DISRUPTING THE PATTERNS BEHIND THE VIOLENCE AND MAKING SURE THOSE WHO ARE THREATENED, WHO THREATEN THE SAFETY OF OUR COMMUNITIES ARE BROUGHT TO JUSTICE.]
THE GROUP PLANS WEEKLY MEETINGS… AND THE A-T-F SAYS ITS BRINGING IN ADDITIONAL AGENTS.
SOME COMMUNITY LEADERS ARE EXPRESSING SKEPTICISM ABOUT ANY TYPE OF TASK FORCE BECAUSE OF CORRUPTION THAT LED TO THE DISPANDING OF A PAST GANG TASK FORCE BACK IN 2009.
--TWIN LAKES MAYORAL RACE-- CITY DISSOLUTION (20)--
THE NEXT MAYOR OF THE SOUTHERN CITY OF TWIN LAKES COULD WIN OFFICE IN NOVEMBER... AND BE OUT OF A JOB BY MAY.
ON THE SAME NOVEMBER BALLOT AS THE MAYORAL ELECTION... VOTERS WILL ALSO DECIDE WHETHER TO DISSOLVE THE CITY GOVERNMENT.
IF THEY VOTE YES... TWIN LAKES WOULD BECOME PART OF NUNDA TOWNSHIP STARTING NEXT MAY... AND THE NEW MAYOR WILL BE OUT OF A JOB.
[MUSIC TRANSITION]
--NORTHLAND FIRE MANAGEMENT--
HOTTER, DRIER SPRINGS … LESS SNOWPACK … AND BUILT-UP FUEL ARE INCREASING WILDFIRE RISKS IN NORTHEAST MINNESOTA …
FOREST SPECIALISTS SAY PRESCRIBED BURNS AND THINNING OUT DEAD TREES … CAN LIMIT FIRE THAT DESTRUCTION.
THAT INCLUDES DEAD AND DYING BALSAM FIR … WHICH HAVE LITTLE COMMERCIAL VALUE.
IN AN INTERVIEW WITH AMPERS MEMBER STATION W-T-I-P … TERESA FLOBERG WITH NONPROFIT GROUP DOVETAIL PARTNERS SAYS DEVELOPING A MARKET FOR THAT WOOD COULD HELP SUSTAIN THE CLEANUP.
[TERESA FLOBERG, DOVETAIL PARTNERS: HOW CAN WE CREATE A CIRCULAR ECONOMY, THAT DECREASES WILDFIRE RISK, FEEDS BACK INTO A MARKET OF THAT PRODUCT, THAT THEN CONTRIBUTES BACK INTO THE LOCAL ECONOMY.]
-- --
SHE SAYS LONG-TERM PREVENTION ALSO NEEDS STEADY FUNDING … TO MAINTAIN FORESTS AND KEEP EVACUATION ROUTES OPEN YEAR AFTER YEAR.
--BEST ARTS N CRAFTS FAIR--
ONE OF THE COUNTRY’S TOP CRAFT FAIRS IS RIGHT HERE IN CENTRAL MINNESOTA.
THIS YEAR’S ‘LITTLE FALLS ARTS AND CRAFTS FAIR’-- --WAS VOTED *TOP THREE IN THE NATION IN U-S-A-TODAY’S TEN BEST READERS’ CHOICE AWARDS…
EDITORS AND EXPERTS SELECTED THE NOMINEES... THEN READERS VOTED… LITTLE FALLS’ TOOK THIRD PLACE…
IT’S BEEN AN ANNUAL DOWNTOWN SEPTEMBER TRADITION SINCE 19-73.. AND AFTER THIS NATIONAL RANKING ... NEXT YEAR’S FAIR MY BE MORE CROWDED.
--PUMPKIN TOOL TIME--
AND FINALLY …
WHEN YOUR WIMPY PUMPKING-CARVING KNIFE JUST WON’T CUT IT …
[DRILLING]
IT’S TIME TO CRANK UP THE HORSE-POWER.
THE NONPROFIT MINNESOTA TOOL LIBRARY IS HOSTING ‘PUMPKINS AND POWER DRILLS’ SATURDAY AT BROKEN CLOCK BREWING IN NORTHEAST MINNEAPOLIS … A CHANCE TO PUT THE “GORE” IN “GOURD.”
ADMISSION IS FREE … DONATIONS AND PUMPKIN SALES SUPPORT THE LIBRARY … WHICH LENDS TOOLS AND TEACHES DO-IT-YOURSELF SKILLS.
FOR NORTH STAR STORIES, I’M XAN HOLSTON.